Load control system responsive to location of an occupant and mobile devices

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/832,798 filed Aug. 21, 2015 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/201,504, filed Aug. 5, 2015, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/094,213, filed Dec. 19, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/040,828, filed Aug. 22, 2014, all of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

A user environment, such as a residence or an office building for example, may be configured using various types of load control systems. A lighting control system may be used to control the lighting loads in the user environment. A motorized window treatment control system may be used to control the natural light provided to the user environment. An HVAC system may be used to control the temperature in the user environment. Each load control system may include various control devices, including control-source devices and control-target devices. The control-target devices may receive digital messages, which may include load control instructions, for controlling an electrical load from one or more of the control-source devices. The control-target devices may be capable of directly controlling an electrical load. The control-source devices may be capable of indirectly controlling the electrical load via the control-target device. Examples of control-target devices may include lighting control devices (e.g., a dimmer switch, an electronic switch, a ballast, or a light-emitting diode (LED) driver), a motorized window treatment, a temperature control device (e.g., a thermostat), an AC plug-in load control device, and/or the like. Examples of control-source devices may include remote control devices, occupancy sensors, daylight sensors, temperature sensors, and/or the like.

Though current load control systems enable control of different electrical loads in a load control environment, the load control systems fail to use information that may be collected from one or more occupants and/or the occupant's mobile devices to control the electrical loads. Using such information may enable the load control systems to be more perceptive and to more conveniently control the electrical loads throughout the system.

The present disclosure relates to a load control system for controlling the amount of power delivered to one or more electrical load, and more particularly, to a load control system able to control a plurality of electrical loads in response to the location of a control device and/or an occupant.

As described herein, a load control system for controlling an electrical load in a space of a building occupied by an occupant may comprise a system controller configured to determine the location of the occupant, and a load control device configured to control (e.g., automatically control) the electrical load in response to the location of the occupant. The load control system may further comprise a mobile device adapted to be located on or immediately adjacent the occupant and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The system controller may be configured to determine the location of the mobile device, for example, using a unique identifier of a beacon signal received by the mobile device. The system controller may transmit one or more location-based control elements associated with the determined location to the mobile device, and the mobile device may display the location-based control elements on a visual display. The system controller may be configured to receive a selected control element from the mobile device and may control the load control device to thus control the electrical load in response to the selected control element according to the determined location of the mobile device.

The load control device may comprise a lighting control device for controlling the intensity of a lighting load, for example, to a preset intensity that is dependent upon a unique identifier of the mobile device. The load control device and/or the controller may be configured to learn the preset intensity for the mobile device. The load control system may further comprise an occupancy sensor and the load control device may automatically control the electrical load when the occupancy sensor indicates that the space is occupied and the mobile device is located in the space. The load control device may be configured to automatically control the electrical load when the mobile device is located in the space.

A load control system for controlling an electrical load may comprise a load control device configured to control the electrical load, a mobile device configured to transmit and receive wireless signals, and a system controller configured to receive the wireless signals from the mobile device and to determine the location of the mobile device. The system controller may be configured to automatically transmit a command to the load control device for controlling the electrical load when the controller determines that the mobile device is in a space.

A load control system for controlling an electrical load may comprise a load control device configured to control the electrical load, and a mobile device configured to transmit a wireless signal including a command for controlling the electrical load. The mobile device may be configured to determine its location within the building and to adjust its operation in response to the location.

A mobile device for use in a control system having a plurality of control devices located at fixed locations around a building is also described herein. The mobile device may comprise a wireless communication circuit for receiving wireless signals from the plurality of control devices, and a controller responsive to the wireless communication circuit. The controller may be configured to measure signal strengths of the wireless signals received from the plurality of control devices and to store a set of measured signal strengths at a first location as a first signal strength signature. The controller may be configured to subsequently measure the signal strengths of the wireless signals received from the plurality of control devices and to determine that the mobile device is at the first location by comparing the measured signals strengths with the first signal strength signature.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description that refers to the accompanying drawings.

is a simple diagram of an example load control systemfor controlling the amount of power delivered from an alternating-current (AC) power source (not shown) to one or more electrical loads. The load control systemmay be installed in a building having one or more rooms,,. The load control systemmay comprise a plurality of control devices configured to communicate with each other via wireless signals, e.g., radio-frequency (RF) signals. Alternatively or additionally, the load control systemmay comprise a wired digital communication link coupled to one or more of the control devices to provide for communication between the load control devices. The control devices of the load control systemmay comprise a number of control-source devices (e.g., input devices operable to transmit digital messages in response to user inputs, occupancy/vacancy conditions, changes in measured light intensity, etc.) and a number of control-target devices (e.g., load control devices operable to receive digital messages and control respective electrical loads in response to the received digital messages). A single control device of the load control systemmay operate as a control-source and/or a control-target device (e.g., as both a control-source device and a control-target device).

The control-source devices may be configured to transmit digital messages directly to the control-target devices. The load control systemmay comprise a system controller(e.g., a central controller or load controller) operable to communicate digital messages to and from the control devices (e.g., the control-source devices and/or the control-target devices). For example, the system controllermay be configured to receive digital messages from the control-source devices and transmit digital messages to the control-target devices in response to the digital messages received from the control-source devices. The digital messages transmitted to the control-target devices may include instructions generated for controlling a respective electrical load. The control-source and control-target devices and the system controllermay be configured to transmit and receive the RF signalsusing a proprietary RF protocol, such as the ClearConnect® protocol. Alternatively, the RF signalsmay be transmitted using a different RF protocol, such as, a standard protocol, for example, one of WIFI, ZIGBEE, Z-WAVE, KNX-RF, ENOCEAN RADIO protocols, or a different proprietary protocol.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more load control devices, e.g., dimmer switches, for controlling respective lighting loadslocated in one or more of the rooms,,. A dimmer switchmay be adapted to be wall-mounted in a standard electrical wallbox. The dimmer switchmay comprise a tabletop or plug-in load control device. The dimmer switchmay comprise a toggle actuator (e.g., a button) and an intensity adjustment actuator (e.g., a rocker switch). Actuations (e.g., successive actuations) of the toggle actuator may toggle, i.e., turn off and on, the respective lighting load. Actuations of an upper portion or a lower portion of the intensity adjustment actuator may respectively increase or decrease the amount of power delivered to the respective lighting loadand thus increase or decrease the intensity of the respective lighting load from a minimum intensity (e.g., approximately 1%) to a maximum intensity (e.g., approximately 100%). The dimmer switchmay comprise a plurality of visual indicators, e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which are arranged in a linear array and are illuminated to provide feedback of the intensity of the respective lighting load. Examples of wall-mounted dimmer switches are described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,919, issued Sep. 29, 1993, entitled LIGHTING CONTROL DEVICE, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0132475, published May 15, 2014, entitled WIRELESS LOAD CONTROL DEVICE, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The dimmer switchmay be configured to wirelessly receive digital messages via the RF signals(e.g., from the system controller) and to control the respective lighting loadin response to the received digital messages. Examples of dimmer switches operable to transmit and receive digital messages is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0206983, published Aug. 20, 2009, entitled COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR A RADIO-FREQUENCY LOAD CONTROL SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more remotely-located load control devices, such as light-emitting diode (LED) driversfor driving respective LED light sources(e.g., LED light engines). The LED driversmay be located remotely, for example, in or adjacent to the lighting fixtures of the respective LED light sources. The LED driversmay be configured to receive digital messages via the RF signals(e.g., from the system controller) and to control the respective LED light sourcesin response to the received digital messages. The LED driversmay be configured to adjust the color temperature of the respective LED light sourcesin response to the received digital messages. Examples of LED drivers configured to control the color temperature of LED light sources are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0312777, published Oct. 23, 2014, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLING COLOR TEMPERATURE, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The load control systemmay comprise other types of remotely-located load control devices, such as, for example, electronic dimming ballasts for driving fluorescent lamps.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more plug-in load control devices, for controlling respective plug-in electrical loads. For example, a plug-in lighting load, such as a floor lampor a table lamp, may be plugged into one of the plug-in load control devices, such that the plug-in load control device is coupled in series between the AC power source and the plug-in lighting load. The plug-in load control devicemay be configured to receive digital messages via the RF signals(e.g., from the system controller) and to turn on and off or adjust the intensity of the plug-in lighting load in response to the received digital messages. An appliance, such as a television, may be plugged into one of the plug-in load control devices, and the plug-in load control device may be configured to turn the appliance on and off in response to the digital messages received via the RF signals.

Alternatively or in addition, the load control systemmay comprise controllable receptacles for controlling plug-in electrical loads plugged into the receptacles. The load control systemmay comprise one or more load control devices or appliances that are able to directly receive the wireless signalsfrom the system controller, such as a speaker(e.g., part of an audio/visual or intercom system), which is able to generate audible sounds, such as alarms, music, intercom functionality, etc.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more daylight control devices, e.g., motorized window treatments, such as motorized cellular shades, for controlling the amount of daylight entering the building in which the load control system is installed. The motorized window treatmentsmay be configured to receive digital messages via the RF signals(e.g., from the system controller) and may be configured to adjust the position of a window treatment fabric in response to the received digital messages. The load control systemmay comprise other types of daylight control devices, such as, for example, a cellular shade, a drapery, a Roman shade, a Venetian blind, a Persian blind, a pleated blind, a tensioned roller shade systems, an electrochromic or smart window, and/or other suitable daylight control device.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more temperature control devices(e.g., thermostats) for controlling a room temperature in each of the rooms,,. A temperature control devicemay be coupled to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systemvia a control link (e.g., an analog control link or a wired digital communication link). The temperature control devicemay be configured to wirelessly communicate digital messages with a controller of the HVAC system. The temperature control devicemay comprise a temperature sensor for measuring the room temperature of the respective room,,and may control the HVAC systemto adjust the temperature in the room to a respective setpoint temperature.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more other types of load control devices, such as, for example, a screw-in luminaire including a dimmer circuit and an incandescent or halogen lamp; a screw-in luminaire including a ballast and a compact fluorescent lamp; a screw-in luminaire including an LED driver and an LED light source; an electronic switch, controllable circuit breaker, or other switching device for turning an appliance on and off; a plug-in load control device, controllable electrical receptacle, or controllable power strip for controlling one or more plug-in loads; a motor control unit for controlling a motor load, such as a ceiling fan or an exhaust fan; a drive unit for controlling a motorized window treatment or a projection screen; motorized interior or exterior shutters; a thermostat for a heating and/or cooling system; a temperature control device for controlling a setpoint temperature of an HVAC system; an air conditioner; a compressor; an electric baseboard heater controller; a controllable damper; a variable air volume controller; a fresh air intake controller; a ventilation controller; hydraulic valves for use in radiators and a radiant heating system; a humidity control unit; a humidifier; a dehumidifier; a water heater; a boiler controller; a pool pump; a refrigerator; a freezer; a television or computer monitor; a video camera; an audio system or amplifier; an elevator; a power supply; a generator; an electric charger, such as an electric vehicle charger; and an alternative energy controller.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more input devices, e.g., such as battery-powered remote control devices, occupancy sensors, and/or daylight sensors. The input devices may be fixed or movable input devices. The battery-powered remote control devices, the occupancy sensors, and/or the daylight sensorsmay be wireless control devices (e.g., RF transmitters) configured to transmit digital messages via the RF signalsto the system controller(e.g., directly to the system controller). For example, the battery-powered remote control devicemay be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controllervia the RF signalsin response to an actuation of one or more buttons of the battery-powered remote control device. The system controllermay be configured to transmit one or more digital messages to the load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switches, the LED drivers, the plug-in load control devices, the motorized window treatments, and/or the temperature control devices) in response to the digital messages received from the battery-powered remote control devices, the occupancy sensors, and/or the daylight sensors. The battery-powered remote control devices, the occupancy sensors, and/or the daylight sensorsmay be configured to transmit digital messages directly to the dimmer switches, the LED drivers, the plug-in load control devices, the motorized window treatments, and the temperature control devices. The input devices may also comprise a door entrance sensor, a door movement sensor, or a keycard door opening device.

The occupancy sensorsmay be configured to detect occupancy and vacancy conditions in the rooms,in which the occupancy sensors are mounted. The occupancy sensorsmay transmit digital messages to the system controllervia the RF signalsin response to detecting the occupancy or vacancy conditions. The system controllermay be configured to turn one or more of the lighting loadsand the LED light sourceson and off in response to receiving an occupied command and a vacant command, respectively. The occupancy sensorsmay operate as vacancy sensors, such that the lighting loads are turned off in response to detecting a vacancy condition (e.g., and not turned on in response to detecting an occupancy condition). Examples of RF load control systems having occupancy and vacancy sensors are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,009,042, issued Aug. 30, 2011, entitled RADIO-FREQUENCY LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM WITH OCCUPANCY SENSING; U.S. Pat. No. 8,199,010, issued Jun. 12, 2012, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING A WIRELESS SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,228,184, issued Jul. 24, 2012, entitled BATTERY-POWERED OCCUPANCY SENSOR, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The daylight sensorsmay be configured to measure a total light intensity in the room,in which the daylight sensor is installed. The daylight sensorsmay transmit digital messages, including the measured light intensity for example, to the system controllervia the RF signalsfor controlling the intensities of one or more of the lighting loadsand the LED light sourcesin response to the measured light intensity. Examples of RF load control systems having daylight sensors are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,410,706, issued Apr. 2, 2013, entitled METHOD OF CALIBRATING A DAYLIGHT SENSOR; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,451,116, issued May 28, 2013, entitled WIRELESS BATTERY-POWERED DAYLIGHT SENSOR, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The load control systemmay comprise one or more wireless temperature sensorslocated in the rooms,,for measuring the room temperatures. The temperature sensorsmay communicate via wired and/or wireless communications with the system controllerand/or the temperature control devices. Though the temperature sensorsare external to the temperature control devices, the temperature sensorsmay be incorporated in the temperature control devices. The HVAC systemmay be controlled by the temperature control devices(e.g., in response to sensor information from the temperature sensors, instructions from the system controller, actuation of one or more buttons by a user, etc.). The HVAC systemmay turn a compressor on and off for cooling the rooms,,and to turn a heating source on and off for heating the rooms in response to the control signals received from the temperature control devices. The HVAC systemmay turn a fan of the HVAC system on and off in response to the control signals received from the temperature control devices. The temperature control devicesand/or the HVAC systemmay be configured to control one or more controllable dampers to control the air flow in each of the rooms,,.

The load control systemmay comprise other types of input devices, such as, for example, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, radiometers, cloudy-day sensors, shadow sensors, pressure sensors, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, air-quality sensors, motion sensors, security sensors, proximity sensors, fixture sensors, partition sensors, keypads, multi-zone control units, slider control units, kinetic or solar-powered remote controls, key fobs, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants, personal computers, laptops, timeclocks, audio-visual controls, safety devices, power monitoring devices (e.g., such as power meters, energy meters, utility submeters, utility rate meters, etc.), central control transmitters, residential controllers, commercial controllers, industrial controllers, and/or any combination thereof.

The system controllermay be configured to be coupled to a network, such as a wireless or wired local area network (LAN), e.g., for access to the Internet. The system controllermay be wirelessly connected to the network, e.g., using Wi-Fi technology. The system controllermay be coupled to the network via a network communication bus (e.g., an Ethernet communication link).

The system controllermay be configured to communicate via the network with one or more mobile devices, such as, a personal computing device and/or a wearable wireless device. The mobile devicemay be located on an occupant, for example, may be attached to the occupant's body or clothing or may be held by the occupant. The mobile devicemay be characterized by a unique identifier (e.g., a serial number or address stored in memory) that uniquely identifies the mobile deviceand thus the occupant. Examples of personal computing devices may include a smart phone (e.g., an iPhone® smart phone, an Android® smart phone, or a Blackberry® smart phone), a laptop, and/or a tablet device (e.g., an iPad® hand-held computing device). Examples of wearable wireless devices may include an activity tracking device (such as a FitBit® device, a Misfit® device, and/or a Sony Smartband® device), a smart watch, smart clothing (e.g., OMsignal® smartwear, etc.), and/or smart glasses (such as Google Glass® eyewear). In addition, the system controllermay be configured to communicate via the network with one or more other control systems (e.g., a building management system, a security system, etc.).

The mobile devicemay be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controller, for example, in one or more Internet Protocol packets. For example, the mobile devicemay be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controllerover the LAN and/or via the Internet. The mobile devicemay be configured to transmit digital messages over the Internet to an external service (e.g., If This Then That (IFTTT®) service), and then the digital messages may be received by the system controller. The mobile devicemay transmit the RF signalsvia a Wi-Fi communication link, a Wi-MAX communications link, a Bluetooth® communications link, a near field communication (NFC) link, a cellular communications link, a television white space (TVWS) communication link, or any combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the mobile devicemay be configured to transmit RF signals according to the proprietary protocol.

The load control systemmay comprise other types of network devices coupled to the network, such as a desktop personal computer, a Wi-Fi or wireless-communication-capable television, or any other suitable Internet-Protocol-enabled device. Examples of load control systems operable to communicate with mobile and/or network devices on a network are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0030589, published Jan. 31, 2013, entitled LOAD CONTROL DEVICE HAVING INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The operation of the load control systemmay be programmed and configured using, for example, the mobile deviceor other network device (e.g., when the mobile device is a personal computing device) during a configuration (or commissioning) procedure. The mobile devicemay execute a graphical user interface (GUI) configuration software for allowing a user to program how the load control systemwill operate. For example, the configuration software may run as a PC application or a web interface. The configuration software and/or the system controller(e.g., via instructions from the configuration software) may generate a load control database that defines the operation of the load control system. For example, the load control database may include information regarding the operational settings of different load control devices of the load control system (e.g., the dimmer switch, the LED drivers, the plug-in load control devices, the motorized window treatments, and/or the temperature control devices). The load control database may comprise information regarding associations between the load control devices and the input devices (e.g., the battery-powered remote control devices, the occupancy sensors, and/or the daylight sensors). The load control database may comprise information regarding how the load control devices respond to inputs received from the input devices. Examples of configuration procedures for load control systems are described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,391,297, issued Jun. 24, 2008, entitled HANDHELD PROGRAMMER FOR A LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0092075, published Apr. 17, 2008, entitled METHOD OF BUILDING A DATABASE OF A LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0265568, published Sep. 18, 2014, entitled COMMISSIONING LOAD CONTROL SYSTEMS, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The mobile devicemay comprise one or more sensing devices for sensing one or more parameters (e.g., biometric data) that define the physical condition (e.g., behavior, movement, comfort, and/or health) of the occupant. For example, the sensing devices of the mobile devicemay include an accelerometer for monitoring the movement of the occupant. The mobile devicemay comprise sensing devices for monitoring the heart rate, the blood pressure, the body temperature, the blood sugar, and/or the perspiration level of the occupant. The mobile devicemay include any combination of sensing devices. The mobile devicemay be configured to transmit digital messages to the system controllerincluding data regarding the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device.

The system controllermay be configured to deduce the state or physical condition of the occupantusing the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device. For example, the system controllermay be configured to determine that the occupantis sleeping or that the stress level of the occupantis increasing in response to one or more of the parameters measured by the sensing devices of the mobile device.

The system controllermay be configured to determine the location of the mobile deviceand/or the occupant. The system controllermay be configured to control (e.g., automatically control) the load control devices (e.g., the dimmer switches, the LED drivers, the plug-in load control devices, the motorized window treatments, and/or the temperature control devices) in response to determining the location of the mobile deviceand/or the occupant. The system controllermay be configured to control the load control devices according to occupant control parameters associated with the occupant. The occupant control parameters may be predetermined or preset settings for the occupant, biometric data for the occupant, user input data received from the occupantvia the mobile device, and/or an environmental characteristic measured by the mobile device(e.g., an ambient light level).

One or more of the control devices of the load control systemmay transmit beacon signals, for example, RF beacon signals transmitted using a short-range and/or low-power RF technology, such as Bluetooth® technology (e.g., via a short-range communication link). The load control systemmay comprise one or more beacon transmitting devicesfor transmitting the beacon signals (e.g., dedicated beacon transmitting devices). The beacon transmitting devicesmay be battery-powered (e.g., including a battery for powering the beacon transmitting device). The beacon transmitting devicemay also be plugged into a receptacle to receive AC power and/or may be connected to an external power supply for receiving DC power. Any fixed-location control device of the load control system(e.g., any of the load control devices, such as the dimmer switches, the LED drivers, the motorized window treatments, and/or the temperature control devices) may be also be configured to transmit the beacon signals (e.g., to operate beacon transmitting devices).

The mobile devicemay be configured to receive a beacon signal when located near a control device that is presently transmitting the beacon signal. A beacon signal may comprise a unique identifier identifying the location of the load control device that transmitted the beacon signal. Since the beacon signal may be transmitted using a short-range and/or low-power technology, the unique identifier may indicate the approximate location of the mobile device. The mobile devicemay be configured to transmit the unique identifier to the system controller, which may be configured to determine the location of the mobile deviceusing the unique identifier (e.g., using data stored in memory or retrieved via the Internet). The system controllermay be configured to transmit control data (e.g., the determined location and/or names of an area, groups, zones, electrical loads, control devices, load control devices, input devices, presets, and/or scenes associated with the location) back to the mobile deviceand/or control (e.g., automatically control) the load control devices in response to the location of the mobile device.

The system controllermay be configured to determine the location of the mobile deviceusing triangulation. Since the load control devices of the load control systemmay be mounted in fixed locations, the load control devices may measure the signal strength of RF signals received from the mobile device. The load control devices may transmit these signals strengths to the system controller, which may be configured to determine the location of the mobile deviceusing the signal strengths. One or more load control devices of the load control systemmay be movable devices. As such, the load control systemmay comprise fixed and movable load control devices.

The system controllermay be configured to determine the location of the occupantwithout the need to track the location of the mobile device. For example, the system controllermay be configured to determine the location of the occupantin response to one or more input device fixedly mounted in one or more of the rooms,,, for example, a camera device, a microphone, or a fingerprint detection device. The load control systemmay comprise one or more camera devicesfor recording video surveillance of the rooms,,. Each camera devicemay be configured to transmit video recordings to the system controller. The system controllermay be configured to determine the presence of the occupantin the room, for example, using facial recognition technology.

The system controllermay be configured to determine the location of the occupantusing a microphone. For example, the system controllermay be configured to determine an occupant of a space based on matching voice patterns of the occupantto a database of stored voice patterns, for example, in addition to a determined location of the occupant's mobile device. The load control systemmay comprise one or more microphonesfor recording audio in the rooms,,. A microphonemay be configured to transmit audio recordings to the system controller. The system controllermay be configured to determine the presence of the occupantin the roomby processing the audio received from the microphone. For example, the system controllermay identify movement in the room, that a person is in the room, a number of people in the room, and/or a specific person in the roomfrom the audio received from the microphone. The volume of the audio received may indicate the relative distance of the occupantfrom the microphone.

The system controllermay be configured to determine an occupant of a space based on fingerprint detection. The load control systemmay include one or more fingerprint scanners. Though the fingerprint scanneris illustrated as an external device, the fingerprint scannermay be included in a control-source device. For example, a control-source device (e.g., a dimmer switch) may comprise a fingerprint scanner. Upon receiving information relating to an occupant's fingerprint, the control-source device may transmit this information to the system controller, which may cross-reference the occupant's fingerprint information with a database to determine the occupant of the space. The load control systemmay comprise one or more fingerprint scannersfor detecting the fingerprint of the occupantin the rooms,,. The identification of the fingerprint of the occupantin the roommay indicate the location of the occupant. The mobile devicemay also, or alternatively, be used to scan the fingerprint of the occupant. The fingerprint scannermay be configured to transmit fingerprint data to the system controller. The system controllermay be configured to determine the presence of the occupantin the roomby processing the fingerprint data to identify the fingerprint of the occupant.

The system controllermay be configured to use location information determined by the mobile deviceto supplement occupancy sensor information. For example, an occupancy sensor may be unable to detect the presence of an occupant in a space due to a lack of line of sight between the sensor and the occupant. The system controllermay detect the presence of the occupantbased on the presence of the occupant's mobile device. The system controllermay use location information based on a mobile deviceto enhance occupancy sensor zone control. For example, the location information relating to the mobile devicemay be used to determine and/or confirm zoning information as determined by an occupancy sensor.

The system controllermay be configured to control (e.g., automatically control) the load control devices in response to determining the location of the mobile device, for example, when one of the occupancy sensorsindicates that the space (e.g., room), which was indicated as the location of the mobile device, is occupied. The mobile devicemay be configured to directly receive a digital message indicating the occupancy condition from one of the occupancy sensors, to determine that the occupancy sensor is located in the room in which the mobile deviceis located, and/or to transmit a command (e.g., instructions) to control the load control devices in the response to receiving the digital message indicating the occupancy condition (e.g., transmitted to the system controlleror directly to the load control devices). The system controllermay also be configured to determine the location of the mobile deviceis occupied in response to a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, a door entrance sensor, a door movement sensor, a keypad door-opening device, or the camera device, and may control (e.g., automatically control) the load control devices when the location of the mobile deviceis indicated as occupied.

A sensor (e.g., an occupancy sensor) may be configured to control the status of a control-target device (e.g., turn lights on/off, raise/lower shades, etc.) and the system controllermay be configured to determine and set the preset level of the control-target device based on the detection of a mobile devicewithin the space of the control-target device. For example, an occupancy sensor may turn the lighting of a space on/off based on the detection of an occupant, while the system controllermay set the lighting to the preset of the occupantbased on the detection of the occupant's mobile devicewithin the space of the control-target device.

A sensor (e.g., an occupancy sensor) may be configured to control the status of a control-target device in one direction (e.g., turn lights on/off, raise/lower shades, etc.) and the system controllermay be configured to control the status of the control-target device in the other direction. For example, the system controllermay turn lighting of a space on based on determining that an occupant is present in the space (e.g., via their mobile device) and the sensor may be configured to turn the lighting of the space off based on a detected vacancy situation in the space.

The mobile devicemay be configured to determine its location and to transmit the location information to the system controllerand/or the load control devices. The mobile devicemay be configured to determine its location in response to the beacon signals received when located near a control device that is presently transmitting the beacon signal. The mobile devicemay also be configured to use the unique identifier of the beacon signal to retrieve the location of the mobile devicevia the Internet. The mobile devicemay be configured to transmit the location to the system controller, which may be configured to automatically control the load control devices in response to the location of the mobile device. The mobile devicemay be configured to determine its location based on the signal strengths of RF signals received directly from three or more of the load control devices. The mobile devicemay be configured to determine its location based on a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

An input device (e.g., the battery-powered remote control devices, the occupancy sensors, and/or the daylight sensors) may be configured to determine its location. The input device may be configured to determine its location in response to determining a signal strength signature at the present location. The signal strength signature may be a pattern of signal strength measurements to and from the fixed-location control devices (e.g., the load control devices) of the load control system. The input device may be configured to use a neural network to learn a signal strength signature in each of the rooms,,. For example, the input device may learn the signal strength signature using signal strengths measured when the input device is in one of the rooms,,during a configuration or setup procedure of the load control systemto determine the weights of the neural network that will allow the input device to recognize these patterns. The input device may alter its operation in response to the determined location and/or transmit the determined location to the load control devices and/or system controller. The input devices and/or the system controllermay be configured to determine the locations of the input devices using any of the procedures described herein.

The mobile deviceand/or the input devices (e.g., such as the battery-powered remote control devices) may be configured to operate differently depending upon the present location of the device. The mobile devicemay be configured to display a control screen (e.g., on a visual display) that allows for control of the electrical loads located near the location of the mobile device. The control screen may be displayed when a control application on the mobile deviceis opened. The control screen may be displayed without opening the control application, for example, on a lock screen, a notification screen, or a “glance” screen. The system controllermay be configured to transmit location-dependent control elements (e.g., the determined location and/or names of an area, groups, zones, electrical loads, control devices, load control devices, input devices, presets, and/or scenes associated with the location) to the mobile device. The mobile devicemay display the location-dependent control elements on the display screen (e.g., as “soft” buttons), and may transmit selected control elements to the system controller. For example, if the mobile deviceis located in a conference room, the control screen may display the name of the conference room, one or more scenes for the conference room, and/or specific zones of the conference room. The mobile devicemay also display generic control elements on the control screen (e.g., without the need for the system controller to transmit location-dependent control elements to the mobile device). For example, in an open office area, the generic control elements for each cubicle may be the same (e.g., an on control element, an off control element, a raise control element, and a lower control element). The mobile devicemay transmit the selected control element to the system controller, which may determine the appropriate command to transmit to the appropriate load control devices depending upon the determined location of the mobile device. The system controllermay have stored an association of locations identifiers to load control device identifiers for reference to control the load control devices associated with a given location.

When the control application on the mobile deviceis opened, the mobile device may also be configured to display a home screen that is dependent upon the location of the mobile device. For example, the mobile devicemay be configured to display a “living room” home screen when the mobile deviceis presently located in the living room. The mobile devicemay be configured to launch a particular application and/or screen of an application based on the location of the mobile device. For example, if the mobile devicedetects that it is in a conference room, the mobile devicemay launch a particular application and/or screen of an application that allows for control of the particular loads of the conference room (e.g., HVAC, lighting, blinds, etc.).

The mobile devicemay be configured to re-order lists or formats of electrical loads, load control devices, input devices, control buttons, and/or presets displayed on the visual display in response to the location of the mobile device. The mobile devicemay display the items in a list in a different order or in a different location on the display in response to detecting different locations of the mobile device. For example, the mobile devicemay determine the more commonly selected items for a respective location and may display the more commonly selected items in a more convenient location on the display (e.g., higher in a displayed list, closer to the top of the displayed list, or closer to a side of the display for easier access for selection by the user) when the mobile deviceis at or near (e.g., within a predefined distance of) the location. The mobile devicemay store the number of times different items are selected and may re-configure the display configuration for the items when an item is selected more than another item (e.g., more than a predefined number of times to prevent reconfiguration each time an item is selected more than another). The mobile devicemay be configured to display messages and/or warnings to the occupantdepending upon the present location, for example, to inform the occupant of burnt-out lamps or faulty control devices in the present room. The mobile devicemay be able to display a warning when the time-of-day pricing for electricity has exceeded a predetermined threshold.

The mobile devicemay use the location of the device to determine the display configuration and/or warnings for being displayed at or near the location. The mobile devicemay determine the location locally (e.g., via geolocation, triangulation, beacons, etc.) or as an indication from the system controller. The system controllermay also, or alternatively, determine the location of the mobile deviceand may provide the display, lists, and/or warnings to the mobile devicefor display on the mobile device.

is a flowchart of an example control procedurefor controlling electrical loads in response to the location of the mobile device. At, the example control proceduremay start. At, the location of the mobile devicemay be determined. For example, the location of the mobile devicemay be determined atby the mobile devicereceiving a beacon signal, the mobile devicetransmitting a unique identifier of the beacon signal (e.g., a beacon ID) to the system controller, and the system controllerdetermining the location of the mobile deviceusing the beacon ID. In addition, the system controllermay determine a location of a mobile deviceusing one or a combination of triangulation, received signals from the mobile device, a sensor, a camera, beacon signals, a microphone, fingerprint detection, and/or the like.